It is known to mate male and female connector housings wherein contacts in adjacent male connector housings or adjacent female connector housings require shunting. For example, automobile wiring systems typically include wiring harnesses. Each harness contains many conductors that are electrically and mechanically connected to respective contacts contained in harness connector housings. The harness connector housings and the plurality of contacts contained therein are mated with respective header connector housings and the contacts contained therein. In such applications, it is often desirable to shunt contacts, as for example power contacts, in adjacent header connector housings. In order to accomplish this objective, the header connector housings typically include straight male power contacts one end of each of which mates with a harness female power contact and the other end of which is electrically and mechanically connected to a circuit board. Those power contacts of one header connector housing requiring shunting with respective power contacts of an adjacent header connector housing are shunted by providing respective traces therebetween on the circuit board between those ends of the power contacts connected to the circuit board. In particular, in order to provide a circuit between two header connector housings it is necessary to provide two separate power contacts in adjacent header connector housings one end of each of which is soldered to the same circuit trace on a circuit board. Shunting in this manner requires multiple power contacts and electrical and mechanical connection to the circuit board effected by a soldering procedure regardless of whether it is desired to connect the power contacts to the circuit board.